Why do we always make things difficult?
I know why Parkinson’s is such a difficult thing to live with, but why do we always make it harder for ourselves? Part of the reason why I am so vocal and encourage others to raise awareness of the condition is to try and educate the public about what we have to deal with every day. To this end, I’ll walk you through a day in my life.
At 6:45am, my alarm goes off. As I have had a decent night’s sleep, I feel (fairly) awake, so I get my meds for the day… First thing in the morning, almost, as soon as I’ve managed to fight my way out of bed (memory foam mattresses are comfortable, but imagine lying on a marshmallow that stops you moving). I check the time, as I have to try and time when I take them so they last until the next lot (at 10:30-11:00ish). So that’s 7 pills so far, and I’m not even dressed yet! My lovely wife always brings me coffee, which, in my opinion, is much better than tea! Controversial?
So, after my meds start to work, I shower, dress, and sometimes make it downstairs to breakfast with Mrs L, hopefully before she goes to work- if I need the car, I have to take her to work, which means I am up earlier and everything moves around to fit in.
Then, let’s get to work – I work for one of, if not THE best, employers you could have… I work from home and can work flexibly, which is a very clever way to work, I think- definitely a way of getting your employees to be much more productive… Works for me anyway!
Then, more pills at 11am to keep me going until the next lot- herein lies the dilemma. I have walking football at 2pm, which finishes at 3pm… Do I take my afternoon meds early or late? It’s often a case of how I am feeling at the time. Doing lots of exercise can do some very weird and wonderful things to you- if you ask your consultant they will advise you on the drug regime you are on- but I am fortunate in that I can feel when my meds are wearing off, so I have a bit of flexibility in when I take them (always ask your consultant- never experiment with your medication!).
Anyway, back to the day in hand- it’s still only 3pm, and I’ve had 3 lots of meds (a grand total of 15 pills so far). Now, I’m not sure about you, but I don’t nap during the day… I feel that I don’t need it, but I understand that for some it’s a necessity. After walking football, it’s back to work for a couple of hours- then, as my wife is at the hairdresser’s, I will arrange to walk into town and we will get some tea (that’s ‘dinner’ for my southern friends- there’s a whole world of differences up here in the land of lakes and mountains… I might try and explain them at a later date).
I won’t advertise where we go but they recently stopped doing 2-for-1 pizzas before 5pm on a Friday, who could resist? I enjoy my pint of chocolate brownie marshmallow stout (have you guessed where we are yet?) with my mighty meaty pizza; chillies are a bit on the warm side, and I temporarily lose the feeling in my mouth (I’m burning!). At around 6pm, I take more pills (now at a total of 17- I’m slowing down!). The rest of the day is spent watching TV; it never ceases to amaze me how, despite having literally hundreds of channels, you never seem to be able to find anything you want to watch? We (well, when I say ‘we’, I mean Mrs L) eventually decide on a programme about Jeffrey Dahmer (an American Serial Killer) which concerns me… Since when did serial killers demand such interest and have dramas made about them? (Note to self – Mrs L has been watching a few of these lately, should I be worried?)
We finish with Graham Norton and Gogglebox, a programme about people watching TV- pretty bizarre, if you think about it. Oh, and there goes my final dose of meds, bringing us to a total of 19 pills- and that’s EVERY DAY!
The day I’ve described is normal to me- I am very active, and exercise is my alternative therapy of choice. I’ll leave it at that for now… I’m on holiday soon; North of Dundee in a log cabin for a week with no mobile signal (that’s my excuse, anyway).
Stay strong and keep moving
Dave L